“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela {Featured Photo: A wall at the campus of the University of Karachi, in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo was taken during my doctoral fieldwork on January 11, 2018.} At the beginning of the year and mid-year, we embrace the opportunity to reflect on what progress has been made at a personal and collective level, and what we hope to accomplish in the new year. I began something special at the beginning of this new year, an initiative that I hope to continue on an ad-hoc basis, or as long as I have the capacity.…
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Conducting Qualitative Research in Pakistan: Lessons from the Field
Last month, I shared this article on Medium: Conducting Qualitative Research in Pakistan (as an American-Born Pakistani): 25 Lessons and Observations from the Field This is a piece I began writing in Islamabad, the first week of my second field assessment for my doctoral studies in Pakistan, (in October 2018.) I had been sitting with it for the past 3-4 years. I knew at that time that this would have been the kind of piece that I would have loved to read prior to my fieldwork, so I wrote it. I discuss various elements of the nuts and bolts of the Fieldwork and some key lessons and challenges that emerged…
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“Suitcase Stories” in Georgia: A Storytelling Session on Cultural Immersion in Pakistan
On August 8, 2022, I had an opportunity to participate in a hybrid event conducted by the American Councils for International Education (American Councils), Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. It was a “Suitcase Stories” session, an event designed for alumni of the FLEX Program. The American Councils FLEX program is a well-known, competitive U.S. State Department-sponsored program that brings high school students from 21 countries to spend one academic year attending American high schools and living with volunteer host families. The underlying objective is to promote mutual understanding between American citizens and those from the 21 countries in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, which includes Georgia. The “Suitcase Stories” is a…
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Dissertation Acknowledgements and Publication
Dear all, Previously I shared that I defended my PhD this Summer and graduated on August 21, 2021. A few months ago I received my digital diploma, shown in the featured photo. And I will be participating in the graduation ceremony this week! In October, my Dissertation, “The Network Architecture of Rural Development Interventions: Exploring the Relational Dynamics of Aid-impact in the Fragile and Conflict-Affected States of Pakistan and Afghanistan,” was published on ProQuest. You may find it on the ProQuest Database if you have access through your institution. An excerpt may be available via Google Scholar in a few months if not already. On this post, I would like to…
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First Publication from PhD research explores challenges of ‘Localization,’ amid ‘Fragility’
{Featured photo: The National Monument in Islamabad, Pakistan, 12-25-2018} Welcome back to my page! I have an update to share here before the end of the year. My first article on my doctoral study was published with the Journal of Asian Public Policy earlier this month. It is entitled, “Localization in Fragile Spaces: A Comparative Networks Evaluation of Community-Based Programmes in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” The article is available online now and will be assigned in their upcoming Special Issue: “Poverty Alleviation in Asia: a Comparative Perspective,” when the full volume is ready. It can be found through this link here: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/CSHEGHVJJZZEA5DGV6HP/full?target=10.1080/17516234.2020.1829355 This piece presents an overview of my dissertation research design and some initial…
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My 3MT (+2): Exploring Relational Dynamics of Aid Interventions in Pakistan and Afghanistan
Today, February 28th, 2020, George Mason University held their preliminary rounds for their annual Three-Minute Thesis Competition. I participated in this competition. You can learn more about the 3MT here: https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/about . For a 3MT presentation, we are allowed one slide while we present our research within 3 minutes. I have provided that slide above. I truly enjoyed the experience, and highly recommend students to try this competition. It helps to not only refine your key insights, but also remind you of the big picture behind your research. Since I wrote out my presentation, I would like to share it here. I added the “+2” to the 3 minute presentation, as…
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Post-Pakistan Fieldwork Reflection and Moving Forward …
Two weeks have passed now, since I bid farewell to Karachi/Sindh, and to Pakistan in general, finally returning to the US, after five months of an incredible, inspiring, and humbling fieldwork experience around the country… As indicative and expected, it became a little challenging to post on a regular-basis, regarding my fieldwork adventures, through this medium, which was unfortunate, as I had some amazing experiences in the second half of my time in Pakistan. Since I began my experience in Karachi, and traveled to interior Sindh, my final two months of fieldwork, I could not find the time nor the energy to keep up with blog posts. However, I am…
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Exploring the Streets of Karachi….and Heading to Interior-Sindh
(Photo taken in Clifton, Karachi area) It has been about three weeks since I moved to Karachi, and as I had been making plans to travel to interior Sindh, I had also been reflecting and thinking about my experience in Islamabad/KP. At times, especially the first week back to Karachi, I caught myself just sitting and staring at the wall or towards the breathtaking view of the sea outside from our apartment balcony.. Partly due to an intense exhaustion … partly an element of dismay, as I search for some understanding and answers to the many questions I came with, many of which I now know will not be answered…
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Arrival to Karachi and Reflecting on Islamabad
I arrived in Karachi, last Friday, and today, I had my first meeting in Karachi. It was at the USAID premises of the US Consulate. It was a very fruitful meeting and different from the usual. It was a group interview, rather than an individual one. So that was a bit challenging, as I wasn’t used to it. But I enjoyed it nonetheless, although I feel you get more out of one on one meetings. It helps though to get a variety of different perspectives from different areas, in one sitting. I haven’t had much time to truly reflect on my experience in Islamabad since I got back to Karachi,…
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Final Trip to Peshawar – “Good Bye Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”
I had my final two-day trip into Peshawar/KP at the end of the work week this past Thursday and Friday. My driver, Majid Bhai, stopped the car for me on the motorway so I can take a quick photo both ways right at the border with a sign that read “Welcome to Khyber PakhtunKhwa”, and then on the way back where the sign read “Goodbye, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”. After the “Goodbye,” I had to fight some tears. You sometimes forget how much you were able to accomplish and how much you had seen, when you think about what you couldn‘t do or what you couldn’t see. But I think I…
